


Boy Scout

by ereshai



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Amerihawk Week 2018, Getting Together, Heroes & Heroines, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-09
Updated: 2018-10-09
Packaged: 2019-07-28 14:26:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16243520
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ereshai/pseuds/ereshai
Summary: Steve rescues a cat stuck in a tree. People react about like you'd expect.





	Boy Scout

**Author's Note:**

> For the Amerihawk Week 2018 Day 2 prompt: Everyday heroes or superheroes

Steve enjoyed jogging in the park. The trees gave the illusion of solitude, but the sounds of the city weren’t too far away. It was a nice change of pace from SHIELD’s utilitarian exercise facilities or the gym (as fancy as it was) in Stark Tower. There were usually enough people that Steve had to rein in his speed, which was good for him too. He reveled in his abilities and good health, but sometimes he needed to remember what it was like to have limitations. Running at what felt like a snail’s pace was a tiny limitation, but he still made the effort.

 _Goody two-shoes_ , his brain supplied, sounding remarkably like Clint in one of his teasing moods. Teasing Clint was different from snarky Clint. Snark was reserved for Fury or sometimes Tony, if Tony one is one of his ‘doesn’t everyone understand computer coding/engineering/the stock market?’ moods. Teasing was for people like Natasha and Coulson and a few select SHIELD agents. Steve liked to think he was in that group, too.

He was thinking way too much about Clint. Again.

Steve tried to think of something else, but it was like trying not to think of an elephant after being specifically told not to – practically impossible. He was almost relieved when he heard a little voice calling out from behind him.

“Mister Captain America! Mister Captain America!”

Steve slowed to a stop and turned to find a little girl, maybe eight years old, running toward him as fast as her legs would carry her. He looked around and spotted a woman hurrying after her, calling out, “Shauna, wait!”

“Is that your mother?” he asked, crouching down in front of the little girl.

The little girl looked around. “Yeah, that’s my mom. Mom, hurry up!” She turned back to Steve. “Mister Captain America, my name is Shauna and I need your help.”

“What kind of help?” Steve asked.

Before Shauna could answer, her mother joined them. “Excuse us,” she said, panting a little. “Shauna, I told-“

“He’s a superhero, Mom, he helps people. Mister Captain America, Esmeralda is stuck in a tree and we can’t get her out!” Shauna’s eyes were shiny with tears.

Shauna’s mother winced. “I’m so sorry. Esmeralda is our cat. She got away from us and ran up a tree. Her leash is caught in some branches. We were just going to call the fire department or-“

“I’d be happy to help,” Steve said. Really, why bother the fire department when he was right there, willing and able to help?

Shauna led them back to the tree where an elderly man was waiting. “Grampa, Grampa, I brought Captain America to help us! Is Esmeralda all right?”

Shauna’s grandfather tugged one of her braids. “She’s fine, except for being stuck.” He smiled and held out his hand to Steve. “Thank you so much for taking time from your day to help us, Captain. I’d do it myself, but I’m afraid my tree-climbing days are behind me.”

Steve accepted the handshake. “It’s no trouble. Please, call me Steve.”

“In that case, I’m William. My daughter Sherrice,” he nodded at Shauna’s mother, “and you’ve met my granddaughter, Miss Shauna.”

“It’s nice to meet you all. So,” he said, peering up into the crown of the tree, “any idea how far up she got?”

Freeing the cat was easy. Getting down was a little harder, but eventually they were all on the ground where they belonged – Esmeralda completely unscathed, Steve bearing some scrapes and scratches from cat and tree. Steve accepted the family’s thanks graciously, posed for a picture with William, Shauna, and Esmeralda, and continued on his run without any further interruptions. By the time he got back to Stark Tower, he’d mostly forgotten about the incident.

That didn’t last very long.

After showering and changing, he went to the communal kitchen for a mid-afternoon snack. The kitchen was not empty, as it usually was at that time of the day. Clint, Natasha, and Tony were there, lounging nonchalantly. Steve hesitated in the doorway, not sure why they were lying in wait for him.

“Steve,” Tony said cheerfully when he spotted him. “How are you? Doing all right?” He took a sip of his coffee.

“Yes.” Steve glanced at each of them, then walked over to the fridge to pull out the sandwich he’d had delivered from his favorite deli. It was easily big enough to be a meal all by itself; just what he needed to tide him over until supper.

“We were worried,” Natasha said sweetly. “We thought you might have hurt yourself.”

“Hurt myself?”

“Yeah, when you were out there earning your merit badge,” Clint piped up with a grin. Tony picked up his phone and flicked it so it projected a holographic picture of Steve with an old man and a young girl holding a cat.

“’Thanks to our personal hero, Captain America, for rescuing Esmeralda from a tree. #ShaunasNewFave’ I’m assuming Esmeralda is the cat.” Tony tapped the picture, sending it to a display on the wall. “PR retweeted it to the Avengers account, but they want you to retweet it to your personal account too. Gives it the personal touch.”

Steve nodded. “All right.”

“You know it would have come down on its own, right?” Clint asked, still smiling.

Steve took a seat at the table and unwrapped his sandwich. “Her leash was tangled in the branches.”

“Like you wouldn’t have gone up after her anyway.” Clint got up and wandered over to the fridge for a slice of leftover pizza.

“Well, her owner was upset, and she asked very nicely.” Steve took a bite of his sandwich, hoping that would put an end to the conversation. What was the big deal about helping a kid get their cat out of a tree?

“Okay, this has been fun, but I have a thing,” Tony said. “Later, Captain Boy Scouts of America.”

Clint sat down again and took a huge bite of his pizza. Natasha was leaning against the wall, smirking a little.

“Tell me, Steve, did you help any little old ladies cross the street today?” Natasha sounded almost challenging. Steve wasn’t sure where this was headed, but he considered her question as he took another bite of his sandwich.

“Do you mean aside from Ann-Marie? We usually end up running into each other every Saturday morning, so of course I offered to help her. Oh, but then there was… Yeah, I guess I did.”

“Rescuing cats from trees, helping people cross the street… anyone could do those things. You’re a superhero, Steve.” Oddly, Natasha was looking at Clint as she said this.

“If anyone can do those things, then so can I,” Steve responded simply. He didn’t know what Natasha was hoping to accomplish, because he _knew_ she didn’t really think like that. He glanced at Clint, who was staring at him with an odd look on his face. If Steve didn’t know any better, he’d think it was almost… fond? But Clint didn’t do fond.

Clint caught him looking and quickly took another bite of his pizza. Natasha rolled her eyes and pushed away from the wall. She signed something at Clint, her movements short and sharp, and left the room.

“Everything okay?”

Clint shrugged. “Nat’s irritated with me. Business as usual.”

“So what was all that about?” Steve waved a hand in the direction Natasha had gone.

“I told you, she’s irritated with me.”

“Not that. The superhero remark. She was trying to make a point, but not to me.”

“Oh, that.” Clint shifted in his chair. He stared at the half-eaten pizza in his hand, then tossed it into the garbage can across the room.

“Clint?” Something was wrong – Clint never threw pizza away.

“So we went on that PR thing a few weeks back, you know?”

Steve nodded.

“And one day I was just walking around, and there was this kid, and he was crying.” Clint stopped, picking at some nonexistent scratch on the table.

Steve smiled. He thought he could figure out where this was going. “Was his cat stuck in a tree?”

“Yeah.” Clint smiled, but it faded quickly.

“Was there a problem? Other than the cat?”

“Just… after I got the cat down, someone in our local escort detail started making remarks.” Clint hunched over the table, his hands clenched together.

“What kind of remarks?”

“You know, about how saving cats was more my speed and I should leave the superhero stuff to real heroes.”

Steve’s sandwich fell apart in his hands. He placed the mangled bread carefully on top of the pile of meat, cheese, and veggies that now littered the wrapper he’d left on the table. “Clint,” he said and waited for Clint to look at him. “You know that was bullshit, right?”

“You kiss America with that mouth?” Clint mumbled.

“Really? I can do better than that and I’m almost one hundred years old.”

Clint sighed. “I know it’s bullshit. I’ve heard it before, been hearing something like it most of my life. Just another day for everyone’s sixth favorite Avenger.”

“You’re _my_ favorite Avenger.” Aaand Steve had not meant to say that out loud. He looked down at his ruined sandwich and ran through several scenarios for getting the hell out of there and disappearing until his embarrassment faded. It should only take a year or two.

But no. He'd never been the running-away type. 

“Huh?”

“I mean…” No, he was drawing a blank.

“The feeling’s mutual.”

Steve blushed. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.” Clint grinned. “Got merch to prove it and everything.”

“Really?” Now Steve was wary. That grin never meant anything good.

“I’m wearing underwear with your name across my ass. Wanna see?”

Steve should not find that as endearing as he did. On the other hand, this was the shot he never thought he’d get. “Yes.”

**Author's Note:**

> So, abrupt ending, because I was running behind and that felt like a place to just... stop. Here it is in it's last-minute rush, unbetaed, it's-late-so-my-snark-has-taken-over-summary-writing-duties glory.


End file.
